Which Side
by Fan-Fiction-802
Summary: Hal Mason: suicide. Tom Mason: suicide. Matt Mason: suicide. Ben Mason: a boy who believes all of this is true. But is it? With alien blood coursing through his veins, Ben is stuck with a decision. Go back to a life of mental illness and therapy to see if his family is alive, or stay with the aliens and be disease-free? Can he ever be disease-free? This is a tragedy! Be prepared!
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya! This should be just a one shot, but who knows? It might be a real story if you guys request it. Read on!**

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Ben was simply taking a walk alone. The new 'skitter deflector' over Charleston was fully functioning, so no worry there.

The day was beautiful, birds sang and the sun shone. Ben decided to lay down in the grass. It was just like the old days, before the invasion.

But all is not well.

Ben came unarmed, no real reason to bring a gun. He heard three pair of feet behind him, which he assumed was just a family taking a walk. But he was wrong. Those six feet belonged to a skitter. Ben screamed, but his mouth was covered. There was no escape.

Meanwhile, back at the base, young Matt rushed to his dad.

"Dad!" He cried, pushing people out of the way. "A skitter got Ben." The man's eyes widened at the thought.

"We have to talk to Anne." The two males hustled their way to the doctor. "Anne!" Her attention snapped from the creature she had locked up.

"W-what's that?" Matt pointed at the thing hissing at him. It's hands were open, and it's knees were bent, as if it were in some attack mode. It's face was green and scaly, and there was no flesh anywhere on it's face. It's hair had fallen out, even it's eyebrows had gone. It's spine was glowing orange.

"A harnessed child. We believe new Espheni technology has made it impossible the reverse the effects." Anne answered, swabbing a que-tip in its mouth. It's teeth we're so razor sharp that Anne had to wear an iron glove. Matt stuffed his face into his father's stomach, withholding tears. Tom uttered a 'thank you' before walking out. That's when they collapsed into tears.

It's been three months since Ben's capture, and no Mason has taken it easily. Tom's a drunk, barely sober enough to stand. Hal's become suicidal, cutting his wrists. And Matt? He's careless. He doesn't care if he's blown up. He just wants his brother back.

Tom chugged another bottle of beer. Anne was miserable, this wasn't her Tom, it's a stranger.

"Hey, babe." Tom slurred. He smirked as Anne walked into their room. "How about we have a little fun tonight?" Anne sighed.

"I have to work tonight." She lied. She hated lying to Tom, but, then again, this wasn't the man she loved. "I'd better go." Tom yanked her into a long, passionate kiss. The more she pulled away, the more he pulled her closer. His breath stank of alcohol, much to Anne's displeasure. She finally pushed him away, storming out.

Tears stained Maggie's face as she watched her boyfriend bring the piece of broken mirror to his perfect skin. She knew that one day he'd do it, that she'd find him with a knife in his heart.**_  
_**

"Please, Hal, stop!" She shouted. "You're hurting me as much as you're hurting yourself!" Hal didn't answer, he was lost in Ben World. A world where the price to enter was a cut. Hal's sobs could be heard anywhere. 'The Mason Cries' where what people called them. You made bets on who'd cry next. It's all Pope's idea, but the people bought it all the same. Maggie sighed. "I'm going, Hal. I can't deal with this anymore." She walked out, leaving a near-death Hal.

Matt was with his friends, messing around. They had made a massive bomb to blow up and entire house. Matt, not caring if he died, offered to set it up.

"You sure, Matt? This thing could kill you in a heartbeat." Matt smiled, as a devilish idea popped into mind. He nodded, and took the bomb inside. Sitting down, he placed the bomb in front of him. It was a makeshift bomb, composed of random stuff. He 'accidentally' set the timer for ten seconds, and got up he counted down the seconds.

"10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1-" Boom. The blast burnt the boy all over, killing him instantly.

Anne walked into Tom's room, Maggie into Hal's. They both saw what they didn't want to see, yet they expected it. Tom had alcohol poisoning, and he sat dead in his chair. Hal had finally reached his breaking point, and stabbed himself in the chest. The two boys that accompanied Matt rushed to Captain Dan Weaver.

"What's wrong, kids?" Weaver asked, slightly annoyed.

"Matt...he...bomb...dead..." Was all the boy could make out as he tried to catch his breath. Weaver's eyes widened.

Every Mason was dead.

In a rescue attempt, the soldiers got Ben. Anne had discovered a way to remove the harness even if it's in the subject's body. It's been three months since the 'Mason Apocalypse' as it's referred to. Since then, the skitter deflector has come down. Ben stared at his face in the mirror. He thought he was ugly, everyone told him so. He was neglected, even by Denny. There was no one to go to. Everyone was dead. He'd even missed the funeral.

"You're such an ugly shit." Ben muttered to himself. "Your whole family committed suicide because of you." Anne was convinced Ben had schiznoperina, while other doctors in Charleston claim he's just going through trauma. Either way, he sees a psychologist everyday, the same one Lourdes sees. She goes to sessions because the whole worm thing has scarred her and left her with nightmares. Ben looked at the clock on the wall. Time for therapy.

_Instead of therapy, _the voice in his head began, _why not run? The skitters will accept you. _

So he did. Ben ran and ran until he reached the skitter center. A young harnessed girl and a skitter approached.

"Here to become our king?"

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**So I am a legit mess right now. This was a VERY hard thing to write, but it will get better! I promise! I've decided to write a few more chapters so I don't leave you in this state of feels. **

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

Anne was a mess. Ben had run away. The last Mason child was gone. All that was left was Alexis, who is public enemy number one now that Ben's gone. Anne knew she only had one choice: Cochise. She knew where the Volm headquarters was, she just had to make it there and pray they had something, ANYTHING, for death.

Tom, Hal, and Matt were buried in the same grave in the woods. It was big, everyone in Charleston came. There wasn't a dry eye to be found.

Anne and Lourdes immediately began working on a treatment for death. Human technology couldn't match it. The word of Tom's death caught Cochise's eye, and he returned to Charleston to help with the cure before Anne could chase him down.

Anne was cleaning her supplies as Cochise worked endlessly to finish the cure. It's almost done, but whether it works is undetermined.

"I'm calling it a night." Lourdes announced as she finished arranging medicines on the shelf. "You should, too." Lourdes put a hand on Anne's shoulder, trying to convince her to rest.

"I will soon, Lourdes." Anne sighed, scrubbing away at medical scissors. Lourdes nodded, worried for Anne, and went to check on Alexis. She had been growing quickly, but was slowing down a little. She was about 12 now.

"Hey, Lexi?" Lourdes called out. Alexis stormed through the room, her curly brown hair bouncing. "Lex, what's up?" Lourdes chuckled at Alexis' middle school state.

"Hailey told me she liked Liam, then Liam told me he knew Hailey liked him and he was gonna ask her out, but then Hailey got mad and said she never said she liked Liam and he never asked her out, but then Dana said she told me Hailey liked Liam and just UGH!" Alexis huffed, falling back on the bed. "And nobody likes me because by next week I'll be in my twenties."

"Hey," Lourdes sat next to Alexis. "We're doing our best. But right now we have to get your dad and brothers back."

"Ben's not-" Anne ran in, cutting Alexis off.

"We got it."

Ben's life as king of the Espheni was going well for him. He was the most important of everyone. Even more than Karen was. He was in charge of every movement in the Espheni operation. He even learned to speak their language.

They'd never harnessed him, he volunteered to take his position, which gave him free will. He'd thought of going home, but what'd that do? Send him back to a life where he's a disformed freak?

"Master Ben!" A skitter screeched.

"What?" Ben snapped, while laying in his bed at an attempt for sleep.

"We need to plan another attack." The skitter screeched at him.

"Attack sector B, they're weak." Ben responded, sector B indicating a human settlement.

"Yes, sir." The skitter scurried out. Ben sighed and got out of his bed. His room was in the basement of a house, the most protected part. He went upstairs and out the door. Skitters had overrun the entire neighborhood.

"FORM UP!" Ben commanded. Every skitter and every harnessed kid was at Ben's feet in mere seconds. He had that power. "We're attacking sector B NOW, take no prisoners, show no mercy!" Parts of the group (the army part) broke off and followed Ben.

I guess you could say Ben transformed when he went to the skitters. He's no little boy. His shoulders are broad, his voice deep, his entire being claiming masculinity. Often he'd think about attacking the second mass, but he never could. There was still a sliver of emotion locked in a safe deep in Ben's heart dedicated to the second mass. But it was useless, his family was dead. There was nobody there to love. That's why love meant nothing to Ben, he never had to use it. He dreamt of the day where he meant the perfect girl and fell in love. He'd retire from his position, and she'd get over his alienated face. They'd love each other until the end of time.

Occainsonally, Ben's mind wanders to after the invasion. He'd be powerless. He'd be rejected by everyone because of his skin. He'd have to stay with Anne and Alexis, both of which he didn't favor. He wanted a sister from his mom, not Anne. And he was mad that Alexis hadn't joined him yet. He'd raise her to be his next of kin. She'd take over when he passes.

As you may have noticed, Ben's life is full of 'would's. He would do this, she would do that. This is because Ben can never have these things, but he imagines how life would be like. Choosing this lifestyle was one of the hardest decisions Ben has ever made, and there were consequences. He had to look people in the eye and kill them, which took an emotional toll on him. Another thing, the voices in his head seemed to get louder. They'd call him out of his bed in the night for no reason, and distract him from his work. Ben hated them.

Once they reached sector B, they full-on ambushed the place. They shot at everything that moved. Ben was on a roll, killing half of their overall killings. They had thought everything was dead.

Key word: thought.

A little boy, no older than seven, stood and aimed his gun at Ben. Ben whipped around and darted towards the boy. He stopped in his tracks, though, for an idea came to mind.

"When they boy shoots me, we'll go to the second mass for help." Ben screeched in Espheni. The boy was shocked and confused.

"An inside job?" A skitter responded. Ben was enraged, was that not what he just said? He faced the boy, and shot backwards, killing the dumb skitter.

"Shoot me, kid." Ben hadn't heard his English voice in ages, he only spoke Espheni. He was surprised he didn't mess part of it up. The young, terrified boy rose his gun and shot Ben in the stomach. Ben let himself fall, scraping his head on a nail that poked out from the ground. This was the first time Ben felt pain since he joined the skitters. He liked it. The boy who fired was dead in ten seconds flat.

The Espheni were about to take out the second mass.


	3. Chapter 3

It was quite cold on the sidewalk where young Ben Mason lay. The concrete dug into his cut on his head. The entire Espheni army watched from a distance, protecting their king in secret. Ben knew better then to let himself bleed out. The effects of the new harness left him able to heal any wound in seconds. But he couldn't do that, it'd give him away. His scaly face began to pick off, he was inching closer to looking human.

Meanwhile, Anne stood in front of Charleston, prepared to make her speech. She had yet to release the news of a potentially alive Mason family to the public.

"Hello, and thank you for coming." She announced to the people. "As you may already know, we lost the Mason family some time ago." She held back tears. "Today I have amazing news. Due to Cochise, a good friend of Tom," Cochise waved. "We have assembled three pills to revive the dead." There was an uproar. People wanted their loved ones back, not the Masons. "Please, listen!" The crowd quieted. "Tom Mason was an amazing political leader, and will guide Ms. Peralta in governing us. Without his sons, he won't cooperate." The three coffins were brought out. Anne looked Tom's body in the eye, and fed him the pill. Next, Maggie gave Hal the pill. Finally, Alexis gave her big brother Matt his pill. Each person slowly woke up, Tom first, then Hal, and Matt last.

"What the-"

"Wait a sec-"

"I'm alive?"

Hugs and kisses were exchanged. Hal was whisked off for patrol, Tom went to talk to Weaver, and Matt ran off with his friends.

Feet hitting the pavement was the only sound that was heard between Maggie and Hal. Maggie had barely talked since Hal died.

"We got Ben back." She finally blurted. Hal looked at her, confused. "But he ran off. The doctors said he..." She couldn't say it.

"He what?" Hal asked, concerned for his brother.

"He has schizophrenia." Maggie admitted, striking fear into her boyfriend. "Hal, I'm so sorry-"

"Look!" Hal spotted Ben's body, and rushed to it. He cradled his brother in his arms. Maggie was astonished, but skeptical. Rumor said Ben left to join the skitters. Could it all be a trap?

Ben felt familiar arms envelop him, and hold him tight.

_Stupid humans, you're above love. _

The sad part was that the voice was right. Ben was above love. There was no one to love, or so he thought.

"Ben!" That simple word changed everything. That was Matt; Ben had a family again. But he couldn't let an empire crumble because his family is back. The humans are almost extinct, Ben could be a literal king of the world. He discussed the pros and cons while he patiently waited to regain consciousness. He felt his body be laid on a hospital bed, probably in the infirmary.

"I just found him laying like that on the side if the road." He heard Hal confess. There was a silence. "How am I supposed to tell a little kid his brother hears voices that aren't there?" Hal's voice was wobbly and weak. He'd started to cry.

"Hal, it'll be okay." The comforting voice of his father entered the room. There was more crying, and probably a few hugs.

_Humans focus too much on emotional distress. You're above that. You don't feel emotion except for anger. It's all you feel, isn't it? Oh, and power. Extreme power that racks your body at night and keeps you awake. You crave pain, though. From yourself, from others. Any pain you can get you eat up. And it tastes quite good, doesn't it?_

Ben opened his eyes, with a racking headache. These usually follow long rants like those from the voices.

From the second Ben opened his eyes, Tom noticed the lifelessness in them. In fact, it seemed as if his whole body had been drained. His face was still and pale, his eyes didn't crackle like they used to. Ben's body was cold, even dark. There was nothing left of his boy.

Anne was amazed. Ben healed completely as soon as his eyes opened. It was scary.

"I'm better now." Ben said, tracing his fingers over where his wound was. The coldness tingled his fingers and spread like wildfire through his body. "My shot is at least." Ben knew his schiznopernia would most likely never go away, but he had to believe it would. Anne nodded.

"I guess you're free to go..." Anne was skeptical, and rightfully so. She'd just witnessed a boy on the verge of death make a complete comeback in a matter of seconds. Ben happily hopped off the bed and set out to find Deni.

"Deni?" He knocked lightly on her door. Ben wasn't excited, he actually dreaded meeting his old friend. Deni denied Ben when he needed her. When evilness was taking over his brain, Deni sat back and watched. She was one of the reasons Ben left the Second Mass.

"Ben!" The young girl gasped and flung her arms around her friend. She didn't want to hear, see, or touch Ben, but her mother convinced her. When she heard about his schiznopernia, though, all bets were off. Deni should've been there, that stayed in her mind. Guilt washed over her, pain and sadness, too. Deni was ready to reunite with Ben, but he had other plans. You're not named King of the Espheni for giving in when a girl runs to you.

"Hi." Ben tried to stay quiet, in an attempt to be the meek person he used to be.

"C'mon, let'a catch up." Deni made her way to her bed and sat down. "What was it like? Outside Charleston? Seeing the world in a whole new way?" Deni had many questions, but the question of why he left never left her mind.

"Let's take a walk instead." Ben didn't wait for an answer, a bad habit he'd developed in his rule. Deni followed, confused. Ben slowly led her to the woods, distracting her with small talk. When they were deep in the woods, where there was no where to run and no one to hear even the loudest scream, Ben screeched out the word 'Attack!' in Espheni. Hundreds of skitters ambushed Deni, leaving her confused and defenseless.

"Ben, why?" The once friend of Ben was now dangling in the air, restricted by a net.

"Because you love me." Ben loved Deni, Deni used to love Ben. But now he was convinced he would make it work.

"You can't force love."


End file.
